A Starkville High School student’s project presented during the 50th anniversary of National History Day in Washington, D.C.

This week, a group of 19 Starkville High School and Armstrong Middle School students are visiting the nation’s capital to compete in a competition celebrating the 50th anniversary of National History Day (NHD). As part of the event, a solo exhibition project created by Keylee Lang, a rising 11th grade student at SHS, will be exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Lang’s project, titled “The Modern Woman: How Flappers Changed Society’s Views on Women,” won first place in the high school age category for solo exhibitions at Mississippi State History Day (MHD) in April, qualifying for the national competition. The project also received the Mississippi State Women’s Best All-Time Project Award and was selected for inclusion in the NHD Showcase.

In addition to Lang’s project, students from the Starkville Oktibbeha School District won thirteen awards in the state MHD competition, and 19 students qualified for this month’s competition in Washington, DC.

According to the National History Day organization, a total of 99 student historical research projects – ranging from articles and documentaries to performances and tabletop displays – will be exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and White House Historical Association on Wednesday, June 12. With projects coming from NHD chapters across the country and around the world, Lang’s exhibition is the only project from Mississippi to be included in the prestigious selection of winners.

NHD is a nonprofit organization based in College Park, Maryland, dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day competition was established in 1974 and now annually engages over half a million students in conducting original research on historical topics of interest to them. Students present their research in the form of a documentary film, exhibition, article, performance or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the best entries are invited to a national competition held at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Starkville High School and Armstrong Mississippi Middle School History Day winners and National History Day qualifiers:

Solo exhibition
Seniors 1st place – Starkville High School – Keylee Lang

Group document
1st Place Senior – Starkville High School – Johnny Ford, Chyla Hanna, Jenna Holder and Lindy Peterson
Second Place Senior Division – Starkville High School – Amy Choi, Jimin Kim, Mirae Nishikawa and Claire Rhee

Individual document
Seniors 2nd place – Starkville High School – Walter Giesen
Senior Deputy – Starkville High School – Eduardo Gonzalez-Orozco

Individual website
Seniors 2nd place – Starkville High School – Sachiko Clay

Paper
Junior 1st Place – Armstrong Middle School – Ian Jung
Senior Deputy – Starkville High School – Allswell Nukpezah

Group website
Junior 1st Place – Armstrong Middle School – Theo Ahn, Peter Buys and Brendon Seo
Junior Second Place – Armstrong Middle School – Ian Alexander, Owen Crews, Brooks Fulford and Joseph Thompson

Special Awards 2024
Reflecting Mississippi History Award – Walter Giesen
The best women’s design ever – Keylee Lang
The best design in military history – Theo Ahn, Peter Buys and Brendan Seo
The best design in archival history – Sachiko Clay